GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball | 4A York Supersectional: Back to Normal for St. Charles East

November 05, 2011|By Ben Strauss | Special to the Tribune

Nichole Lambert was on the freshman B team when St. Charles East was the 4A state champion in 2008. This year, she's leading the Saints to Redbird Arena in Normal.

Lambert had six kills and four blocks Saturday during the Saints' 21-25, 25-8, 25-17 victory against Glenbrook South in the Class 4A York Supersectional.

"It's been a long journey," Lambert said. "With our program there's a lot to live up to, and this experience just means the world to me."

After losing the opening game, St. Charles (34-6) trailed 4-3 at the beginning of the second. Lambert, a middle hitter, took over at the net on offense and defense to lead a 22-4 run and even the match.

"We've had a lot of different seniors step up, but that was all Nichole Lambert," St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull said. "You get the ball to her and she'll get it done."

St. Charles East led early in the third game, only to see the Titans close to 12-11. But back-to-back kills by Lambert thwarted the rally.

Lambert received plenty of help from senior middle hitter Meghan Niski, who had six of her 12 kills in the deciding game.

"We expended so much energy in our previous two games, so we didn't have our regular practice coming into this game," said Kull, referencing hard-fought wins over St. Charles North and York. "We weren't able to sustain our tempo the way we usually do."

The Saints' victory ended a Cinderella run for Glenbrook South (17-21), which entered the playoffs 13-20 before reeling off four consecutive victories.

"No one expected us to come this far," Titans coach Katie Hoover said. "I'm proud of my captains for leading us here."

Player of the match: Nichole Lambert, St. Charles East, 6 kills, 4 blocks.